Job Title: Chief Financial Officer

Location: Irvine, CA 92614

Salary/Payrate: DOE, bonus and AWESOME benefits!!!

Work Environment: Hybrid (2 days WFH after ramp up)

Term: Permanent / Fulltime

Bachelor’s degree required: No

Referral Fee: $2,000 - should your referral start with our client

JOB DESCRIPTION #LI-SS1

Our client is a growing law firm is seeking a key member to join the leadership team, responsible for guiding the firm’s financial strategy, performance, and long-term sustainability. This role partners closely with executive leadership to ensure the firm’s financial health while supporting thoughtful growth, operational excellence, and sound decision-making.

What does it take…

The ideal candidate brings experience in a law firm environment (alternatively in a professional services environment), with a deep understanding of billing models, partner compensation structures, and the dynamics of previously owner-led professional organizations. This role requires comfort working with sophisticated equity partners and the ability to balance financial rigor with thoughtful communication.

While law firm experience is strongly preferred, the firm will also consider candidates with senior financial leadership experience in complex professional services organizations (such as accounting, consulting, or architecture/engineering) where partnership economics and utilization-based revenue models closely mirror those of a law firm.

Are you a proven leader with supervisory skills?

• Directly manages the Controller, who oversees the day-to-day accounting and finance operations and an approximately 8-person finance and accounting team supporting an approximately 120-person law firm.
• Provides mentorship, direction, and support to the Controller and finance leadership team.
• Ensures the finance department is well-structured, appropriately resourced, and functioning smoothly.
• Regularly evaluates whether the right people are in the right seats, supporting professional growth and accountability.
• Fosters a collaborative, communicative, and EOS-aligned culture within the finance department.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Serve as a trusted financial advisor to equity partners and executive leadership.
• Lead strategic financial planning, forecasting, and long-range modeling.
• Drive revenue optimization and profitability analysis by practice area, client, and attorney.
• Partner with leadership on rate strategy, margin analysis, and sustainable growth initiatives.
• Provide strategic oversight of firmwide tax planning and compliance, and serves as the primary liason with the firm’s external CPA and tax advisors to ensure proactive planning.
• Support and/or identify potential acquisitions, including financial evaluation, modeling, and integration planning.

Financial Reporting & Partner Communication

• Prepare and present monthly financial reporting.
• Provide clear explanations of performance against budget and key variances.
• Develop easy-to-understand financial narratives translating financial data into business insights.
• Lead partner compensation analysis, modeling, and scenario planning.

Systems, Process & Infrastructure

• Lead the transition from Coyote to SurePoint Practice Pro.
• Lead implementation planning, data integrity, reporting alignment, and adoption as early adopter.
• Ensure financial systems, processes, and internal controls scale effectively with firm growth.
• Oversee firmwide budgeting, forecasting, and cash-flow management.

EOS & Department Leadership

• Lead rollout and ongoing use of EOS tools within the finance department.
• Build clarity around Accountability Charts, Rocks, scorecards, and meeting rhythms.
• Partner cross-functionally to support firmwide EOS goals and decision-making.

Required Built for Success

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) from four-year college or university or equivalent in Finance, Accounting, or related field required; MBA/CPA or similar credential preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant experience. 
• Demonstrated ability to work with complex compensation structures and demanding ownership groups. 
• Proven success leading system implementations and organizational change. 
• Exceptional communication skills with ability to translate complex financial data clearly. 

Preferred Experience:  

• Senior financial leadership experience in a law firm or senior financial leadership experience in a complex professional services organization. 
• Highly experienced Controller ready to step into a CFO role with a strategic mindset. 
• Experience with EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) strongly preferred. 

Physical Requirements

• There may be stressful conditions such as workloads and/or deadlines inherent in this position
• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards 
• Must be able to sit, stand, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and climb stairs on occasion; requires good manual dexterity and coordination to grasp, lift, touch or move objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; balance; and hear; and taste and smell. 
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 25 lbs.
• Must be able to talk, listen and speak clearly